In the spring of 2017, the life of Thomas Skipper Wilkey, a 51-year-old male, was cut short in his Dayton, Tennessee, home. On April 24, 2017, deputies from the Rhea County Sheriff's Department discovered his body inside his residence located in the 1200 block of Walkerton Road. The discovery immediately prompted a death investigation, with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation being called in to assist at the request of the 12th District Attorney General.
As investigators delved into the circumstances surrounding Wilkey's death, it soon became clear that he had died from gun violence. The focus of the investigation quickly turned toward his wife, Patricia Kaye Wilkey. Working in collaboration, TBI Special Agents and Rhea County investigators developed information that pointed to her as the individual responsible for the homicide.
The investigation moved swiftly, and on the very same day that Thomas Wilkey's body was found, authorities arrested Patricia Kaye Wilkey. She was taken into custody and charged with one count of Criminal Homicide in connection with her husband's death. Following her arrest, she was booked into the Rhea County Jail and held without bond.
